Accident leads to long closure of Highway 6

By RICHARD SHAWSun Advocate community editor

A Sunday afternoon accident on the main thoroughfare through Carbon County delayed traffic upwards of two hours this past weekend.

According to the Utah Highway Patrol the mishap occurred at 1:36 p.m. when a 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche veered off the road to the right near milepost 273 (between Horse Canyon and Woodside) and then came back onto the highway causing the semi-truck full of apples that was traveling behind it to loose control.

The driver of the Avalanche, Maria Mata, 41, of Renton,Wash. was later cited for improper lane travel and fatigue. Her vehicle contained four other occupants, children ranging in age from eight to 16, and her 39 year old husband. The semi-truck was driven by Juan Batame, 30, of California.

When Batame tried to avoid the SUV which had come back into his lane of travel, he lost control and the truck tipped over across all lanes of travel on the highway.

While no one was seriously injured in either vehicle, Batame was treated for a laceration across his forehead.

The accident caused a traffic backup nearly three miles deep coming from the west and six miles traveling from the east. The semi-truck lay across the lanes in such a manner that no vehicles could get past it and it was also in a spot where authorities could not route traffic around it.